A Great Adventure
by domina tempore
Summary: An Athosian and a Satedan can't survive together... can they? Ronon/Teyla AU. Rated "T" overall. ON HIATUS.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Note: This is very different from what I usually write; I read AU's, but this is one of my first legit attempts to write a good one. Please read, review, and be kind; after all, this is a pretty new thing. But I hope you like it! :D (and this is un-betaed so any mistakes are mine).  
_

**Chapter One**

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The graying woman smiled at the gaggle of children that had followed her heavily pregnant daughter to her house. She raised an eyebrow knowingly at the beautiful expecting mother, who feigned innocence.

"And I suppose that you had no idea that they followed you here?" she questioned rather sarcastically. Her daughter shrugged.

"They were quiet," she replied.

"Tell us a story!" they clamored, knowing that she was the best of the best of all storytellers.

"Clearly, you never would have heard them."

"Oh, please, mother? They love your tales. And I'm sure that my baby would love to hear one too." she rubbed her belly. The woman sighed, running a hand through her silver-streaked red hair.

"What would you like to hear?" she asked, sitting down on the floor to be at their level.

"Tell my favorite," her daughter begged. "The one about heroes." And the woman knew instantly that this had all been planned.

"One day I _will_ see fit to deny those pretty eyes of yours, Lacey," she said with mock severity.

"You always say that," she laughed, sitting in a comfortable chair.

"This story will take a long time, children," she warned the rest of her listeners. "I cannot finish it today."

"We'll come back," they promised; they knew that Lacey knew which stories her mother told best; and her favorite must be the best of the best.

She sighed again, bringing her mind all the way back to the beginning of the story, the day that everything had started.

"Once," she began, in a hushed voice, leaning forward and meeting each child's eyes, "there was a man called Ronon Dex..."

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Ronon took a deep breath of the fresh summer air. He loved Sateda with all his heart, but at his mother's country manor on Athos, he truly came alive. Athos did not possess the great cities or technology that they once did, having been culled more recently than Sateda. But some of his people still preferred the simplicity of the life that they enjoyed, and had bought land and built manors, escapes for themselves. The Athosians maintained a friendly relationship with them, while continuing on in simple lives that they so enjoyed.

Except for their art, he remembered. Their art was what made them what they were, what connected them. Whether their craft was in material or music or dancing or fighting or painting or anything, they were true artists in everything that they did.

That was one of the reasons that his mother loved Athos, but at nineteen Ronon cared very little for art, except for their fighting style, which he was working to master. But what drew him to Athos, again and again, was her.

Her name was Teyla. She was the daughter of the Athosian leader, and her grandfather was the head of the elders; and she had good standing both among her own people and the Satedans because of her family's status, and her skill as a warrior. At seventeen and two years his junior, she had already been a master for two years. But it wasn't because they feared her that they respected her; she was a lovely, gentle girl to everyone but an odd group of a few dozen Satedans that she simply seemed not to like. Which was both irritating and pleasantly challenging; it was a personal game of his to get her to laugh for real, to be happy with him.

He walked through the bright forest, content for the moment just tp dream about her. But unexpectedly, he heard her voice rise in a gentle laugh up ahead; and the soft deep murmur of a male voice replying. Quietly, not wanting to alert them to his presence, he stalked through the forest like a jaguar, until he could see the beautiful Athosian and her companion.

His lip curled in a silent snarl when he saw who she was with. His name was Halling, he was several years older than Ronon; but he was Teyla's best friend. And Ronon hated him for it.

He watched them talk and laugh, watched Halling kiss her and call her "my love". He watched her give hi that radiant smle that he was constantly failing to tease out of her. His hands curled into fists as he watched Halling caress her hair, her arms, her face; and he burned with angry jealousy. Halling was almost twenty-three; too old for her. He knew that the Athosians were much more lax than his people about age differences between couples--- on Sateda, no girl under twenty would see a man six years older than she was--- but even by their standards this seemed wrong to Ronon. Halling was too old; he should not be kissing her like that.

He watched them for a long time, just too far away to hear their conversation. Finally, Halling stood up and pulled her to her fet.

"I need to go back," he said apologetically, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"I will be back soon," she promised. Halling seemed to understand that she needed to be alone for a bit, because he nodded, smiling fondly.

"Alright, love" he kissed her lips quickly. "Be back before dark," he teased. Teyla just laughed and told him to go home.

Once he was gone, Teyla returned to her seat and for a while just sat there, singing and laughing softly to herself. Her gentle humming entranced Ronon, and that trance was broken only when he saw her face change, in the way that he knew meant that she was thinking about Halling. Ronon hated that the man could make her happy, when he couldn't.

Finally, as twilight began to fall, she started back. Ronon realized that she was going to pass within inches of his hiding spot, and was instantly terrified that she would find him. But just as suddenly, a crazy idea popped into his head, an idea that he couldn't resist.

As she passed him, he stepped out of the bushed, wrapped her tightly in his arms, and kissed her full on the lips. She froze, but Ronon felt safe, knowing that it was too dark for her to see who he was. He made the kiss deep and long and full of passion; and then he released her and fled, leaving her gasping for breath in the middle of the forest. He wished that he could have seen the look on her face, but he gladly settled for feeling her racing heart as he held her against him. And the knowledge that he was going to deck Halling later, That man definitely didn't deserve her.

Suddenly, he remembered that he was supposed to be home; his mother had planned something for tonight that he "needed" to be there for. He ran all the way back to her manor.

TBC

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_A/N: Sorry if this is a little weird; but things will get explained further on, I promise. I'll try to update soon. :)_


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Note: Ah, after a crazy week, this chapter is finally done. Not too much action yet, but I have some things planned. Enjoy! _

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**Chapter Two**

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"He kissed her? the children asked, and the woman smiled. The little girls all seemed excited with the idea, and the boys were clearly disgusted. She loved to watch their reactions.

"Yes, he did," she laughed. "It took her nearly five minutes to catch her breath and stop shaking."

"Did she ever find out that it was him?"

"Did she beat him up?" she laughed again, recognizing her grandson's voice. Of course he _would _be the one to ask that. A warrior, that one.

"Be patient and let me tell the story," she chided mildly. "That part doesn't come until later."

"Then what does happen next?" a little girl asked. The woman turned to meet the child's big blue eye.

"Next, they had dinner..."

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Ronon knew that he was late, and tried to sneak into the house withou this mother realizing.

"Ronon!" he cringed. So much for sneaking in.

"Coming!" he called. He found his mother in the kitchen, stirring something on the stove. His little sister Alyn was perched on a stool, swinging her legs and wearing a smile on her round, six year old face. He suspected that it had been the girl who had heard him, and not his mother.

"You're late," Meila--- his mother--- said to him mildly annoyed. "But at least you got here before she did"

"She?" Ronon repeated, unable to remember exactly what event his mother had planned.

"Yes, the leader's daughter, Teyla." Ronon felt his blood run cold. "I asked her to come to dinner," she raised an eyebrow at her son. "Don't tel me that you forgot, Ronon."

"I... sorry, I though... I was just..." he stuttered, suddenly very afraid. She was coming here? What if she guessed?

Melia sighed.

"Just go change, make yourself presentable," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Why don't you want Teyla to come?" alyn asked him perceptively, irritating him a bit. His little sister could always tell what he was thinking or feeling; and while it made things much easier when he didn't have to explain, sometimes he wished that his thoughts could just stay his own.

"I wanted to go hunting tonight," he lied easily. Teyla was the only thing that he'd managed to hide from everyone, even Alyn. No one knew what he felt about her.

Before any more questions could arise, he escaped up to his room, closing the door behind him and sighing in relief to have a few moments of peace before the awkward evening that he did not doubt would be forthcoming.

He changed into comfortable clothes that he hoped that his mother would find acceptable, and tried to convince himself that Teyla was not going to know that it had been him. He didn't doubt that she'd been in shock; and so he banked on the assumption that she hadn't been alert to anything but that shock.

"Yeah right," he groaned, flopping on his bed. She was going to figure it out right away; she was smarter than that. And then, later, sometime in the near future, she was going to murder him.

"Just make an idiot out of yourself like you always do areound her, Dex," he muttered. "She'll never know that anything is wrong." he spent the better part of ten minutes arguing with himself, but in the end he had no better ideas than to simply pretend that it had never happened.

Eventually, Ronon heard his mother calling him, and he got his careless act ready and went back down staris, as Melia and Alyn were just greeting Teyla. And uncharacteristically, Ronon froze in his tracks alfway down the stairs, enthralled by the Athosian's beauty.

She was dressed in a long, layered skirt made of light cloth dyed brilliant fuschia, and a plum colored shirt ith a gently curved neckline and no sleeves. Braclets made of turquoise stone circles her wrists, ad her long red-gold hair was braided back with onlya few pretty whisps escaping.

She was greeting his mother ad sister kindly--- _they _hadn't made it onto the list of Satedans that she hated--- and he couldn't stop staring at her until her eyes met his. He jerked himseld mostly out of it and managed to get down the stairs without falling over his own feet.

"Teyla Emmagan," he bowed dramatically, playing a fool. "Welcome."

"Thank you," she murmured before turning her attention back to Melia, who was ushering her in.

As Ronon had suspected, he made a fool out of himself, awkward and nervous after what he had done. Teyla, for the most part, ignored him; deep in conversation with his mother or telling stories to Alyn, who adored her.

ROnon was relieved when Teyla left without suspecting a thing. He helped his mother clean up and went up to his room, telling Melia that he was tired. His mother believed him, but his little sister didn't; and it wasn't long before he heard her soft knock on his door.

"Alyn," he sighed, but when he didn't order her away she took it as an invitation to come in and climb up onto the bed beside him.

"Is everything alright?" he asked her, remembering that she often came to him when she was scared or upset or if she thought that there was a storm coming.

"Why do you act so strange around Teyla?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"You pretend she's like everyone else, but you're different around her. Maa doesn't notice it, but I do. Why do you act that way?"

"Alyn..."

"Ronon, please tell me." The little girl looked up at him with such big, innocent eyes that he couldn't refuse. He opened his mouth to speak, but something in his face must have betrayed him before his voice could, because her eyes widened.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" she gasped. He nodded, feeling a blush heat his face and hoping that the detail would be overlooked by Alyn.

"Does she know?"

"She doesn't like me," he said. When the littl girl didn't deny it he knew that she'd noticed it too.

"It's not your fault," she saide after a second. "She just doesn't know you like we do; you try to act silly around her on purpose." Ronon sighed.

"Alyn, you can't tell anyone about this."

"I won't," she promised him, snuggling close to him. "I love you, Ronon."

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It was several days before Ronon ventured into the forest again, and this time it was to hunt. His mother wanted venison, and so she had asked him to get some. But the deer knew better than to venture very close to the Athosian village, and he had to trek far into the woods, past the spot where he'd seen Teyla and Halling. He shuddered when he thought about that; he hadn't seen either of them since that day, which was good, because he knew that if he had he wouldn't hav been able to contorl himself. He would either have admitted himself to Teyla, or murdered Halling--- which, while satisfying, would not have been the best decision overall if he wanted to take care of his family. He doubted that the Athosians would look very kindly on him killing one of their own.

It took him nearly three hours to find the herad of deer that he'd been tracking. He grinned, and silently took an a rrow from teh quiver at his back. Bows and arrows were not his preferred weapons, but they were a challengeto hunt with, and they were silent. With practiced ease he silently notched the arrow and pulled the bowstring tight, aiming for a large, antlered creature at the edge of the herd.

Suddenly, the deer bolted, startling Ronon and making him drop his arrow. By the time he had another one ready the deer were gone... and Halling emerged from the trees, oblivious.

Ronon was sorely tempted to let the shaft fly; he could always blame the deer that had startled him so bad he'd let the arrow go. A hunting accident. It was that simpe... and Ronon couldn't do it. His Satedan honr demanded that he not kill from the shadows but give the man a fighting chance. Wel, he could work with fighting, too.

He stepped out of his hiding place and approached the man.

"You scared off my inner," he joked, with just enough accusation that the man had no confusion on where he stood.

Technically, I believe that those are _Athosian _deer," Halling returned. "And unless we've both been lied to all out lives, you are _not _Athosian." Ronon smirked a little.

"Come on, don't pretend like your any better than me. You're just a coward with a lot of pretty words." Halling could tell that he was spoiling for a gfight.

"If this is how you want it, than you're wrong again. I am Athosian--- no one will side with you over me--- i am a warrior," Ronon snorted. "And I seem to have the one thing that you have never been able to achieve," until now, Halling had merely been stating what he believed to be fact, deterring the Satedan firebrand. But now he threw down the gauntlet. "I have the affection of Teyla Emmagan." It took all of Ronon's self-control not to strangle the an right there. He searched his mind for another acceptable response, and came up dry. But Halling misinterpreted his silence as denial.

"Don't lie, even you're above that. I see the way you look at her; the way you look at US. And I've seen the way that she rejects you-"

"Look," Ronon choked out. "I don't care if she ever changes her opinion of me; I just don't want her to be with YOU." Halling frowned.

"She chose me."

"Stay away from her..." Ronon could feel himself winding up, getting ready to attack.

"She is my betrothed-"

"NO!" Ronon lunged wildily at him. But Halling had understated his power. He was nearly as competent a warrior as an Satedan. What ROnon had expected to be over in seconds was turning into a full-fledge war.

"STOP!" Ronon heard a voice past the roaring inhis ears, but he ignored it, throwing another wild punch at the Athosian man, who retaliated with lightning reflexes. He didn't comprehend the shout until he felt hiimself jerked back by his hair, and saw Halling pulled back as well. "Halling, Ronon, _enough_!" it was Teyla. They oth obeyed instantly, and she kept s surprisingly strong grip on both of their arms, to be sure.

"What happened?" tight-lipped, Ronon exchanged a glance with Halling, and he knew that the ma wasn't going to say anything unless he did. And he had no intention of revealing the cause of their fight. They both stood there, staring at each other, silent, barely controling their rage, until Teyla gaveup.

"Do I have to drag you back like boys to be beaten? she demanded. The two remained silent, and a moment later they realized that she hadn't been joking. She literally dragged them all the way back to the edge of the village. Then she pushed them away.

"Halling, go home."

"But Teyla-"

"Go home!" she looked at Ronon. "You too." he obeyed instantly, waiting until he was out of her sight to grin. She still hated him, but at least Halling wasn't on her good-list either. And the man had his share of bruises, another thought which kept Ronon smiling.

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_A/N: I'm sorry I haven't written anything from Teyla's POV yet; but I wanted to get Ronon a bit more established first. The next chapter will be about her._


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Note: At long last (for me), here is chapter three! This one is going to be mostly from Teyla's POV, with just a tiny bit of Ronon's here and there. Ronon is going to start acting a bit less like the Ronon that we know; because he hasn't been a runner, and so he still doesn't see things quite the way that our Ronon does. But he's promised to stay (mostly) in character._

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**Chapter Three**

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"How badly did they get beat up?" her grandson asked, interrupting the story. She raised an eyebrow at him with mock severity.

"Rayshan, let me tell the story."

"But when will there be more fighting?" she glanced at al of the other children, but they all seemed interested in that, too.

"Is that what all of you want to hear about next?" she asked. "A fight?"

"Oh, Ama, tell them about Tagan," Lacey asked. The woman grinned, knowing te moment that her daughter was thinking of in the story.

"Alright. The leader of the Athosians was called Tagan..."

"I thought that Teyla was the leader?" one of the children interrupted.

"No, Teyla was the leader's daughter. Her father was the leader..."

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Teyla was furious with both Halling and Ronon for what they'd done. Whatever their quarrel, if they could not even explain why they were fighting, she had to assume that they had no good reason. And she knew that Halling didn't fight for nothing.

Neither did Ronon, she admitted grudgingly to herself. Whatever else she thought of him, she saw his Satedan honor. She knew that he woud not fight for something that was not worth it.

Unable to figure it out or ignore it, she sought advice the next day from her father.

"You didn't sleep well last night, Shona," he said, dodging a vicious swing from his daughter. But Teyla felt a momentary glow at the name; Shona meant "golden child", and the knowledge that it was one of her names was known only to a very few. But she loved the nickname.

"Didn't I?" she played innocent.

"I heard you toss and turn for hours. What has made you restless?" Teyla struck out again, and her bantos sticks collided with his.

"I met Halling yesterday..."

"Not a surprise," her father, grunted, taking a swing of his own.

"...fighting with Ronon Dex." Tagan blinked, and barely ducked away from his daughter's next attack.

"Fighting over what?"

"Neither one would say." He noticed an edge to her voice.

"But it was ugly?" he guessed correctly.

"I want to know why they ofught," Teyla said, skipping back out of the reach of her father's bantos sticks. "So that I know how to deal with them."

"You sound more like a leader every day," Tagan grinned.

"You're supposed to be the leader, Adi."

"Did you come to me for advice or to vent?"

"For advice."

"Then let it go," Teyla frowned, and the second of distraction nearly cost her the match. "I'm serious. I know them both; and the only reason that they would hide anything from you would be to protect you. Whatever it is, let them work it out."

"If that is supposed to make me feel better..."

"You asked for advice," he reminded her. "Not to feel better."

"I want to settle it."

"Teyla, this is not your quarrel to settle. Let it go." She sighed, and for a few minutes they sparred without talking, concentrating completely on the fight.

"You're still not focusing," Tagan told his daughter suddenly. "Something else is troubling you. Tell me."

"This is something that I need to deal with on my own," Teyla said, feeling her face flush hot as her father recognized her distraction. But there was NO WAY that she was telling him about that kiss a few nights ago that still stuck in her head.

Tagan seemed to accept that, and continued his attacks. Teyla struck out with renewed vigor, trying to prove that there was nothing wrong. She caught her father off-guard, and one of her sticks slammed into his head. She gasped as he stumbled back, a bleeding gash right above his eyerow.

"Adi, I'm sorry!" she used the Athosian word for father. She took a step towards him to see if he was okay, and he kicked her feet out from under her and planted a boot lightly o her chest.

"Never let your guard down."

"Adi!" she pushed his foot away and stood up. "Come with me."

"Teyla, no, I'm fine."

"No, you are coming with me to have that seen to," he looked into his daughter's stubborn eyes and sighed.

"I never could argue with your mother, either," he muttered. Teyla froze. She didn't know the exact events that had led to the loss of Aly Emmagan, but she knew that her father didn't often speak of her. Not wanting to risk deterring him, she waited silently for him to continue.

"She alwat got her way; gently, too," Tagan said as his daughter led him towards the village. "She only ever got truly angry with me twice. Once when she met me..."

"And once when you married her anyways," Teyla knew the joke: when she was young she had heard her parents share it many times.

Tagan sighed wistfully.

"I miss her," he murmured softly; and Teyla felt a sudden stab of sympathy for Halling's young son. Jinto. His mother had been her best friend, and the loss of her had hit the Athosians hard. But Teyla knew what it was like to grow up without a mother.

Tagan was silent for the rest of the walk to the healer's tent.

"Tagan Torren Emmagan!" Charin snapped when she saw him, treating him like a child. "Still getting into trouble, even as a leader?" She clicked her tongue disapprovingly, and glanced at Teyla. "I'll take care of him, child." She grinned at her old friend.

"Thank you." Charin took Tagan into her tent, and Teyla heard her father's protests long after she had walked away.

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The next morning Teyla rose early, having slept surprisingly well after the stress of the previous days. She dressed in soft, comfortable clothes and worn leather boots that fit perfectly. After softly kissing her still-sleeping father's forehead, she slipped out of their tent and headed off into the woods.

She loved to walk in the gray eraly morning, before the mist had settles; when the sun finally rose it seemed to set the air alight around her. These were her favorite moments to be alone; she felt like the world was being created around her.

She walked slowly, enjoying the peace and the gentl bird songs that rose around ehr, when suddenly, she came upon Ronon. That in itself was unexpected; she'd rather hoped that she'd scared him away yesterday. But here he was, trying to... what was he doing?

He seemed to sense her presence, and jerked around to see who was watching him. He seemed to relax when he saw that it was Teyla. But whatever he had been doing was hidden behind him.

"What are you doing?" she asker him. He shifter, reddening slightly with embarrassment.

"I found it over there," he gestured vaguely. "One of it's legs is broken." He moved aside, and she saw a tiny fawn laying at his feet, one of it's legs bent oddly at an angle.

"What happened to it?" she asked.

"I don't know; I came back out to hunt since I didn't catch anything yesterday..." he trailed off, seeming to remember that she had been a big part of "yesterday" "... and all I found was this little one."

"You need to wrap it's leg," she told him, wondering why he in particular was bothering.

"I'm going to!" he snapped, with more force than he'd intended. Teyla shrugged and turned to go, and he relented.

"Don't leave, I'm sorry, I... can you help me?" Teyla knelt down beside him, and felt along the creatures thin leg carefully.

"You need to splint it, or ir won't heal," she murmured, more to herself than to him.

"I know," he said softly as Teyla looked around for two strong, skinny sticks and something to tie them with. Ronon tore strips of fabric off of his shirt for her, and she accepted them with a nod, the Satedan's softness confusing her. She held the sticks in place against the little animal's leg, but before she tied them in place, she turned her head to look at Ronon.

"Why is it that you, a soldier and a warrio, do not know how to make a splint?"

"I do," he shrugged. "But for human arms and legs; not something this small." his answer made sense, and she turned back and concentrated on what she was doing, trying to be as gentle to the little animal as she could.

"This is not what I have come to expect from you," she told him absently, her voice low and soft to sooth the frightened little animal before her.

"I wanted to bring it to Alyn, for a present," Ronon said shrugging his shoulders. Teyla had seen how his little sister softened him. He was always sweet and kind and gentle around her. The same as he was being now, which Teyla was beginning to suspect was not merely because of the deer.

She chose to ignore that feeling.

She finished tying on the splint, and lifted the baby deer into her arms, cradling it to her chest like she would a child.

"I will carry it back for you," she offered. Ronon nodded, smiling a little, though about what she couldn't imagine.

"Thanks," he said softly.

They walked back to his mother's manor, talking awkwardly at first but then becoming more comfortable. Teyla was more confused than ever about this man. In the back of her mind she knew that she did not like him, and she should not be relaxing around him. But a part of her, however grudgingly, was beginning to enjoy his company. That idea frightened her as much as it intriuged her.

They walked through his mother's large, sweeping gardens, and found Alyn playing among the flowers. She looked up when she heard them coming, and a huge, excited smile spread across her face. Tey;a wasn't sure if it was for her brother, or her, or the little animal that she was carrying.

Ronon knelt down at his sister's level.

"We brought you a present," he said, smiling.

"Ronon found her," Teyla explained, placing the little deep in Alyn's arms. "But she's hurt, so you'll have to be careful with her."

"I will," Alyn promised, hugging the little animal and petting it gently until it stopped shaking in her arms.

Suddenly, Ronon groaned.

"Are you alright?" Teyla asked, slightly concerned.

"My mother is going to kill me."

"Why?"

"I was supposed to be... doing something for her," he glanced at Alyn, who was totally absorbed in her new pet and paying no attention to them. Teyla interpreted the look to mean that he did not want his sister to know that he was supposed to be hunting her deer's relatives. She sighed tiredly.

"I will show you where you can find them," she offered, and felt mild satisfaction at surprising him.

"Really?"

"Yes. Perhaps if I do it will keep you ant Halling apart." She led him back into a forest, and down a faded path that he had never noticed before.

"Why don't you like me?" Ronon asked after a few moments of silence.

"After yesterday?"

"You didn't like me before that." Teyla pushed aside a tangle opf branches.

"You think that you are invincible, that nothing can hurt you. Yet you obviously feel things very deeply, or else you wouldn't can for your sister like you do, and you would not have fought with Halling."

"So what?"

"You are lying. And if you cannot even be hinest with yourself then how can I trust you?" he cringed at her words, but he wondered if she was right. He'd never thought of his actions as lies before, but he wondered now if everyone saw him that way.

"Shh," she hissed suddenly, dropping down on one knee and nodded to a small clearing ahead of them. Ronon peeked through the foliageand saw a small herd of deer. As he had the day before, he silently notched an arrow and took aim. He could feel Teyla's eyes on him, waiting, and he forced her out of his mind and let the arrow fly. It struck it's target with a quick and painless death blow, and the herd scattered as Ronon and Teyla moved forward to collect their catch.

Ronon whistled.

"This is a good buck," he commented.

"That was a good shot," Teyla replied, ignoring the momentary glow of pride that his words aroused.

They spent the rest of the day hunting for his mother, and snuck back into the house as the sn started to set, avoiding Alyn and her finding out about the deer. They went in throught the kitchen door and met Melia, who surveyed them and their catch with approving eyes,

"Teyla, you must stay for dinner," she insisted.

"I would not want to inconvenience you..."

"Oh, you're never an inconvenience. And you helped Ronon; you must stay to taste your work." And so, for the second time that week, Teyla found herself sitting down to dinner with tthe Dex's.

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_A/N: This ending is a little more rushed than I planned, but my computer is dying. Stay tuned for chapter four! Oh, and mistakes are mine and many (probably)._


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's Note: Okay, so the next few chapters are going to be just a bit short, but I'm leading up to my first really climactic moment of action that will kind of set the stage for the rest of this fic. I'm getting really excited! :)_

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**Chapter Four**

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The woman paused in her tale as a strange look crossed Lacey's face.

"What is it, child?" Lacey looked at her, her eyes wide with wonder.

"My baby just kicked," she said. "Come feel." The story momentarily forgotten, the children crowded around Lacey, eager to have contact with the little life inside her that would soon be one of them.

"Give her some space," her mother chided them, rocking to her feet and going over to place her own hand on her daughter's round stomach. Trained by years of practice and her own pregnancies, her fingers felt a ripple of movement under the skin.

"I said to feel, not stop your story," Lacey said, smiling. "I haven't heard you tell it in so long. We want to hear the rest, don't we, children?" A chorus of "Yes!"'s resounded through the room, and the woman grinned.

"Alright. Where were we?"

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Over the next few weeks Teyla began to spend an increasing amount of time with the Dex family. That one night at dinner she had promised to help Melia with whatever she needed, and that normally consisted of help Ronon hunt for her or do other chores. Teyla was afraid of becoming _too _comfortable with it--- she still didn't _like _the Satedan--- but after seeing him rescue the deer for his sister, she was seeing him with different eyes.

As she found herself spending more and more time with Ronon, she noticed a growing unease in Halling. She had managed to keep him and Ronon from hurting each other, but she had a feeling that this sort of tentative peace was not going to last for very much longer.

In spite of her worry, she waited for Halling to say something; she knew him too well to call him out before anything else had actually happened. But it didn't take him long to speak.

"Why do you spend so much time with him?" he asked one day, when the two of them had stolen a rare moment alone together.

"Who?" she asked for show.

"Ronon Dex. You don't like him; why do you bother?"

"Melia sends him to me for help," Teyla told him. "And I _do _like her." Halling didn't seem to buy it.

"He's playing errand boy for his mother because he wants you." Teyla laughed, trying to lighten the statement.

"He "plays errand boy" to help his mother," she said. "He takes care of his family while his father is away fighting the wraith."

"Please be careful, Teyla. I don't want him to hurt you." he seemed about to say more, but Teyla cut him off with a quick kiss.

"Did you come here today to complain about Ronon, or to be with me?" she asked, and was rewarded with a smile of defeat.

"You know the answer to that," he said, putting his arms around her waist and pulling her in for another kiss.

------------

By the time that Teyla returned home, it was dark; so dark that she didn't see Ronon on the path until he stepped out in front of her. She jumped, and felt Halling stiffen beside her, but she touched his arm lightly, holding him back.

"My, um, mother wanted me to come thank you for everything you've been helping her with," Ronon said awkwardly, thrown off by Halling standing there. Teyla began to reply, nodding, but Ronon continued before she could.

"And she told me to ask you to come to dinner tomorrow, you know how she is..." Teyla hid a smile; she did know. Melia was kind and gentle and giving; over-generous sometimes, but a completely good woman. Teyla knew how much it meant to her that her invitation was accepted.

"Tell Melia that I will come," she said. "And thank you." Ronon seemed surprised at her acceptance, and stumbled back a step.

"Okay," he said. "I'll tell her." Halling frowned after him as he left, but Teyla just shook her head. She expected her friend to be upset with the Satedan, but to her mild surprise his reaction was limited to one sentence.

"Don't let him decieve you," was all that he said. She decided that she could live with that.

At the door of her tent, they parted with a quick kiss, and after she had watched him leave she pushed aside the flap and stepped into the tent.

"Adi?" she called. Tagan looked up when she came in. The cut on his forehead was almost healed now thanks to Charin, and he was wearing the scar proudly.

"Welcome home, Shona," he said, coming over to her and kissing her forehead before he bent to touch it with his own.

"Who were you with?" he asked when he released her. "Halling or Ronon?" Teyla frowned at him.

"You say that as if it would be a problem if I was with one of them."

"No problem," Tagan said, removing a pot from the fire and ladling its contents into two bowls. "But lately you spend nearly as much time with your Satedan friend as you do with your fiancee."

"I have been helping Ronon as a favor to Melia," she informed her father, taking one of the bowls.

"You don't have to hate Ronon because it is a habit," Tagan told her. "He is a good man; a bit reckless, but good. You should not be ashamed of your friendship." Teyla didn't have a reply for that, and she took a bite of whatever it was that her father had made, hoping that he would let it go. But Tagan was not done yet.

"I want you to be honest with yourself-"

"Adi!" she finally cut him off. "I know my own heart. Ronon is my friend, yes; but I love Halling. They know where I stand."

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When Teyla arrived at the manor, Ronon was lounging around the gardens, waiting for her. He straightened up suddenly when he saw her, and she hid a smile. There was definitely something different about him.

"You came," he seemed surprised, and Teyla laughed at him.

"Yes I did. I wouldn't lie to you, Ronon."

"That's not what I meant..." he must have seem the amusement in her eyes. "...and you knew that," he sighed, a little embarrassed. "Come in." Still grinning, Teyla followed him inside.

Melia's dinner was better than usual, and Teyla suspected that it was not just to thank her. She had heard that her husband had returned from fighting and would be coming to Athos either that night or the next day.

"Thank you for all of this," Teyla said eventually, gesturing vaguely to include everything. "It was not necessary."

"Of course it was," Melia said. "You have spent so much time these past few weeks helping us; it was the very least that I could do for you. Especially since we will be going back to Sateda soon."

"What?" Teyla heard herself speak as one with Alyn and Ronon.

"You know that we can't stay here all the time, as much as I'd love to," she told her children.

"You know that we would never make you leave," Teyla said softly, afraid that they were leaving because of her people.

"It's not that," Melia assured her. "But we only live on Athos during the summer, when the city is too hot and crowded. But my husband is coming to bring us back." Teyla realized that that was the way that things had always been. She had never noticed before because she had never _cared _before. It was startling to realize that she _did _care.

"I don't want to go back," Alyn pouted. "I don't like the city. Everyone is nice _here_, and it's quiet."

"Alyn..." her mother warned.

Teyla suddenly felt very awkward and out of place; she knew that she didn't belong in the middle of the Dex family's argument.

"I should probably go," she said apologetically, rising gracefully from her chair. "My father will be waiting for me."

"I'll take you home," Ronon offered immediately, seeming as uncomfortable with the whole thing as she was. They quickly bid Melia and Alyn goodnight and made their escape into the dark peace of the night.

"I'm sorry about all that," Ronon apologized once they were out of the house. "I didn't know that she was going to start that tonight."

"It is not your fault," they walked quietly for a minute.

"You can come visit us on Sateda," Ronon said suddenly. "Alyn would love that. You can even bring Halling if you want..."

"I believe I would rather have you both alive at the end of my visit," she said. Ronon grinned.

"Probably wise," he said. "Wouldn't want your friend to get into a fight with me."

"I love him too much to let that happen twice," Teyla shook her head. Ronon grew very quiet beside her, and she let the silence stretch, content to simply walk with him. She felt perfectly safe and comfortable, not that she wouldn't on Athos anyways; but this was different. She didn't bother to wonder why.

They walked in gentle silence until they had almost reached her tent.

"Someone told me once," Ronon said eventually, "that you and Halling are... promised; engaged. Is that true?" Teyla nodded, wondering if he was the only person who did not know.

"Yes." Ronon sighed.

"Okay." They were at the door of her tent, and suddenly he took her shoulders in his big hands, leaned down, and kissed her lips; gently, sweetly, finally. Then he straightened and released her, and backed away into the darkness.

"Goodbye, Teyla Emmagan," he breathed. Shocked, Teyla couldn't move from that spot. She touched her fingers to her lips, still burning from that kiss, and stared at the place where Ronon had just been, her heart rending.

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_A/N: Haha, I've been waiting for this part for a long time ;). And next comes the action! :)_


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's Note: Okay, there are only a few scenes that I've had planned from the very beginning; that kiss at the end of the last chapter, a secret that I can't reveal until later, and the ending. And this chapter..._

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**Chapter Five**

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"What happened next?" the children demanded when the woman stopped speaking. "Did Ronon leave? Did Teyla and Halling get married?"

"So many questions," the woman clicked her tongue in mock disapproval. "You need to learn to be patient."

"Can't we learn patience tomorrow?" Rayshan asked. The storyteller bit back a laugh and managed to look at her grandson severely.

"It's getting late," she said. "You need to go home to your parents now; all of you. I will continue the story some other day." The children instantly set up a great chorus of whining and begging.

"If you do not obey, I will never tell you the end," she threatened. Instantly the children's attitudes changed, and they ran home, until finally only Lacey was left. The old woman shook her head, laughing.

"That nephew of yours..."

"My nephew?" Lacey repeated. "He's _your _grandson!"

"That he is," she sighed.

"Mama, why won't you tell them the next part of the story now?" Lacey asked, rubbing her belly absently.

"I don't want to tell them about something frightening so close to dark," she explained. "The little ones will be too scared to sleep."

"Can you tell me the next part?" Lacey asked shyly; but her mother saw the mischief sparkling behind her pretty sea-green eyes.

"You already know the story, Lace."

"But I like it better when you tell it," Lacey begged. "Please?" her mother sighed.

"Anything for an old woman to have a few moments of peace."

"You're not _that _old, mother."

"Do you want to argue or hear the story?" Lacey shut her mouth, mildly amused that her mother was still treating her like a child. "Thank you. Now..."

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Teyla lay awake in bed long after her father had fallen asleep. He'd found her standing outside, and with a bit of gentle coaxing he had gotten the whole story out of her. But for once there was nothing that Tagan could do for her. He couldn't feel what she was feeling, and he couldn't tell her what to do or why Ronon's leaving--- which she would have rejoiced over just weeks ago--- felt like such a deep _loss _now.

The confusion continued to torture her, and sleep refused to come and bring her peace, however breif. She wanted to hit something. _Why _had that Satedan, in one night, confused everything inside her so much that she didn't even know what she wanted to feel?

She was exhausted, and her thoughts didn't help. Finally, the stillness of the night was merciful, and she'd only just begun to slip into gentle dreams, when quite suddenly her world was shattered.

A deathly cold feeling formed suddenly in the core of her being, and she cried out at the unexpected pain. Her noise awakened Tagan, who took one look at her face and knew instantly what was wrong.

"Wraith?" he guessed correctly, already up and pulling on boots and a shirt. Teyla nodded shakily. He held out a hand and pulled her to her feet, and she was dressed in an instant and followed her father outside. The sound of darts reached their ears. and all around them people screamed in fear, running around like ants as if they did not know what to do.

"Stay calm and get to the caves!" Tagan shouted. As the darts screamed even closer, he took his daughter by the shoulders.

"Teyla, get to the caves. I have to make sure that no one stays here or is lost."

"I can't leave you; I have to help!"

"You have to take care of those who make it there."

"No! I am staying with you."

"_Listen to me_, Shona! For once in your life, you will do as I say."

"You are teaching me to be a leader; let me prove that I _can _be!"

"Teyla..." but the darts were upon them now. Tagan grabbed the arm of the nearest person, and clasped the man's hand around Teyla's wrist.

"Get her to safety wherever you can," he ordered, with a final glance at his daughter. "I love you, Teyla." And then he as gone, and Teyla lost sight of him.

"Adi!" she screamed, fighting against her new companion's grip. But he tugged her away, towards the gate, as the wraith began to rain missiles down on the village.

"Come on!" it was Halling. He half-dragged her through the crowds of people, until they ran into a huge, dark form; Ronon. From behind them, Teyla heard the scream of a child.

Halling paused for about half a beat, then Teyla felt herself shoved into Ronon's arms, which closed tightly around her.

"You had better take care of her," Halling growled, before turning back to find the child who was screaming. Teyla managed to twist herself in Ronon's arms enough to see an explosion from one of the missiles begin practically at Halling's feet. Her view of him was covered by flames and ashes, and she knew that he was gone.

"Halling!" she screamed. "_NO_!" She tried to break free of Ronon's grip, but he held her firm and towed her towards the gate.

"There's nothing that you can do for him," he shouted above the noise. "We have to go!" As he dragged her and she fought him, she felt the wraith's positions change suddenly, and she realized that they were on the ground, too. Her people wouldn't stand a chance.

They reached the gate, and she trid to break away as Ronon dialed, desperate to get back to her people, to do _something _for them. But he kept one arm wrapped tightly around her waist, dialing the symbols with the other hand. She struggled in his grip, but suddenly her breath caught in her throat as a wraith appeared out of the darkness behind him. This one was not one of the shapeless phantoms that the wraith used to frighten and deceive; it was flesh and blood, it was evil, and it wanted them.

Ronon heard it coming, glanced back, and pushed the last symbol on the DHD. The wormhole fell out in a great blue wave, but then was sucked back into the limits of the giant ring that housed it Running at full tilt he threw himself through the event horizon , and pulled Teyla with him; and she tumbled to the ground on the other side of the gate. Ronon fired one shot from the gun that he carried back through the blue puddle at the wraith for good measure, before the wormhole snapped closed, and Teyla as alone with him on a world that she had never been.

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"Mother!" Lacey protested when her mother stopped her story again. "There is more than that; much more!" The woman smiled at the pregnant girl. She was reminding her so much of the little brat that she had occasionally become when she was young. She knew that it was mostly the pregnancy, and the rest she didn't mind, because she missed those days and the little girl that her daughter used to be.

"If you are going to act like a child, I am going to treat you like one," she informed her mildly. "You already know the story; and you need to go home and rest, for your child at least," she looked meaningfully at her big belly. "I will continue tomorrow; I am sure that the children will be back." Lacey faked a pout, then relented and hugged her mother.

"Don't you miss the days before I became cheeky and confident?" she teased.

"You forgot to mention sarcastic."

"Mother!"

"I am sorry," she kissed the young woman's forehead, and Lacey pulled her mother's head down just a little so that they touched, in Athosian tradition.

"Goodnight, mother."

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_A/N: I understand that you technically can't fire a gun back through the gate after you've gone through; but it is Ronon; he would make absolutely sure that he gave it no chance to come after them. Please ignore that discrepancy. Next chapter will switch back to Ronon's POV._


	6. Chapter 6

_Author's Note: No one has seemed interested really since the last chapter. Maybe this will spark some life in my audience? LOL_

_Thank you to those of you who HAVE reviewed so far;_ **fyd818**_,_ **Vana1970**_,_ **Bugginkrd**_, and_ **Lone-ranger1**_..._

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**Chapter Six**

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The storyteller was awakened very early by sounds from outside. She heard a deep, warm voice, and for a moment she thought that it was her husband. But after a second she recognized the voice as her son-in-law's Lacey's husband, Jinto. He was gently rebuking some of the children, telling them to "_leave her alone, let her wake on her own_". Smiling to herself, she got dressed and poked her head out of the window.

"They're quite alright," she told him. "Your voice had me awake long ago." Jinto looked horrified.

"Oh, mother, I'm sorry!" she laughed at him.

"I was teasing you, child," she assured him. He blushed.

"Of course you were," he grunted, embarrassed. I should have let them storm your house, all of them."

"With your wife leading the charge, I assume?"

"The biggest child of them all," he agreed.

"You can let them in if you promise to stay, too," she told him. "I'm afraid that we just passed the bits with your father, but..."

"I lived in those parts. But I am not a part of most of the story." He waved the children and Lacey over, until once again the storyteller's house was full of children.

"Where did I leave off?" she asked them.

"You were about to get to the culling for them, remember mother?" Lacey urged, the tone of her voice making it clear that she wished her to get on with it.

"There is not very much to tell about the culling," she faked, as much for Lacey's sake as for the children's fears. "The wraith came, and her father tried to send her and Halling away while he stayed to help. But Halling stayed to help as well, and he was forced to ask Ronon to save her."

"Did they make it?"

"I would have no story if they didn't."

"Then please get on with it, mother; _before _my baby is born."

------------

Ronon shoved his gun back into it's holster at his hip, and grabbed Teyla again as she tried to re-dial Athos, wrestling her to the ground and pinning her down.

"Let me go!" she screamed at him, and he almost obeyed. But he fought the urge, knowing that she would die if she went back there now. "I have to help my people, my father!" she was crying as she fought him, shaking with sobs as she slowly realized that everything that she'd ever known was gone. But still she tried.

"Let me go!"

"Teyla!" he shouted. "There is nothing that we can do for them; Athos is gone."he held her down until she stopped struggling, stopped fighting, and just cried. Then he let her up and folded her in a tender embrace. He felt her curl into his chest, and slowly her body stopped shaking and her cold limbs began to grow warm again. He listened as she cried for all those she had lost; Charin, her father, Halling and his young son. Suddenly, she stiffened.

"What happened to your family?" she asked. He heard accusation in her tone, and he realized that she thought he had abandoned them to the wraith.

"After you left, my father came from Sateda; they were being culled too. When the wraith came to Athos, he took my mom and Alyn to the gate, and I came back to help you." he didn't tell her that he had no idea if they had gotten off of the planet.

"Your father lead the wraith to Athos," Teyla realzied angrily, shoving him away and standing up. "This is _your _fault."

"Hey!" he climbed to his feet, angry now, too. "I don't know what my father was thinking or if he led the wraith to Athos on purpose or not; but you can't blame ME for that! I stayed on Athos to help!"

"You have done nothing but cause trouble!"

"I wasn't trying to-"

"Because of you, my father, Halling, and all of my people are dead."

"I didn't kill them," he pleaded softly. Teyla ignored him, and began to dial the gate. It took a second for Ronon to realize what she was doing, and he grabbed her arm just too late to stop her from activating it.

"What are you doing?" he demanded as the blue puddle exploded into being.

"I am going back to Athos." He tightened his grip on her arm. "If I cannot save my people, then I will die with them." She was deadly calm now, and it scared him.

"You can't do that."

"You can't stop me."

"Halling told me to take care of you," Ronon told her. "And I'm sure that you father wanted you to be safe, too. Will you deny either of them their last wished." She stared into his brilliant green eyes, her jaw tightly clenched. Not daring to let any hope show in his eyes, Ronon held her gaze until the wormhole collapsed into itself with a sucking sound. He nodded approvingly, and let her pull away.

"Okay..." he said, relieved. Teyla frowned at him.

"I am not doing this for you," she said coldly. Ronon didn't bother to reply because, quite honestly, he could care less about _why _she was doing it. He'd been asked to protect her, and he would with his life; and that she was letting him was all that mattered.

He looked around the world that he'd dialed them to; it was uninhabited, but not the safest place that he could have chosen. However, it would have to do for the night.

"Come with me." He led Teyla into the thick forest that covered the planet, wanting to put distance between them and the gate in case the wraith decided to follow them after all. After a few minutes, he decided that they were far enough away, and sropped.

"You should rest," he advised Teyla. Ignoring him, she went to stand a bit away from him, turning her back on him. He sighed, and sat down with his back to a tree, watching her. He slipped his gun out of it's holster and laid it on his lap; just in case something happened and he needed it.

As he settled into a more comfortabe position, he wondered exactly what he was going to do with her.

------------

Ronon woke up cold and wet, and realized that it had started to rain sometime during the night. He didn't remember having fallin asleep, and he wondered if Teyla had even noticed the rain the way she was... Teyla! He sat bold upright and looked around for her. She was no longer where he had left her.

"Oh no!" he groaned. He leaped to his feet and looked around. He hoped that she had not merely waited until he was asleep to go back to Athos. But of course, she _would_...

Suddenly, he heard her. His ears picked out the sound of soft, even breathing. Following it, he eventually found her curled up on the ground, soaking wet but sleeping.

He watched her silently, letting his fear for her drain away. Even in spite of the rain he could see that she'd still been crying, and his heart broke for her. They had both suffered because of the wraith, but somehow hers seemed worse; Ronon had much less attachment to his people however loyal he was to them, where Teyla had been deeply attached to every one of her people, and was probably feeling each of their losses almost equally strongly. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to _feel _for so many people.

He did not want to wake her, and so he backed away again, though he chose a position where he could see her. Then, as he waited to her to wake up, he started to think about what they would do next.

It wasn't too long before Teyla awakened, and by then the edges of an idea had begun to take shape in Ronon's mind. When he saw her start to stir, he went over and crouched in front of her. She blinked dark, sleepy eyes at him.

"How are you doing?" he asked softly. Her lack of a response was as clear to him as any answer she could have given. He sighed.

"Look, I know that you're still upset with me; but there's nothing that I can do about that."

"Then why won't you leave me alone or let me die?"

"Because Halling ordered me to take care of you. And I'm going to help you get your people back." She frowned, confused. "If only a few make it to the caves and there was nothing left for them on Athos, where would they go after the wraith left?" Teyla shrugged.

"The Genii, the Balkans... Ronon, there are dozens of worlds where they could have gone. And what about those who were taken?"

"Of those darts _did _follow my father to Athos, I know where their hive is," her eyes widened. "We were planning to attack it within a couple of years. We could go there, see if any of your people were taken there." Teyla's eyes shifted away from him as she considered that.

"What if they are not there?" she asked finally.

"Then we kill a few wraith and keep looking. I'll help you find them, Teyla." Very slowly, she nodded.

"Alright," she whispered. "We will try." He smiled a little.

"Good," he said, taking her hand and pulling her up. "Let's find this hive."

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_A/N: Please review! :)_


	7. Chapter 7

_Author's Note: I wasn't quite satisfied with this chapter; but this part of the story DOES need to be told, and in the time it's been sitting around waiting to be posted I've actually grown rather fond of it ;). So maybe not my best writing, but necessary..._

_And once again, PLEASE REVIEW! I am terribly terribly lonely; I crave reviews more than even chocolate (and you don't BELIEVE how much that is!) So please be nice and leave a comment; otherwise I might die from loneliness, and then you would never get to know how this story ends! lol_

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**Chapter Seven**

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"They were attacking a hive?" Rayshan's eyes grew wide and excited.

"Not attacking," his grandmother corrected. "They were going to rescue the wraith's prisoners."

"But you said that they were going to kill them; that means that they have to fight, too."

"But I did not say that _they _would attack."

"Just listen to the story," Jinto told them, putting an arm around Lacey's shoulders. "Everything gets explained eventually; but she had to go in order or it won't make sense." She smiled gratefully at her son-in-law.

"He is right," she said. "I cannot tell the story out of order."

"Then tell us!" Rayshan begged, and his grandmother relented.

"About the hive?" he nodded eagerly. "Very well. Ronon took her to the world where the hive rested..."

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Ronon had forgotten how dark the hive world was. But the rest of his memories were correct, and he led Teyla in the direction of the ship. She was very quiet, and at first he assumed it was because she was still mad at him. But she stayed close to him, and he realized that she was shaking.

"Are you cold?" he asked. Teyla blinked, as if she'd forgotten that he was there and he'd just reminded her.

"No," she said. Ronon frowned.

"Then why are you shaking; what's wrong?"

"We are getting close to the wraith."

"If you'd rather not do this..." he began, his voice laced with concern. But Teyla set her jaw firmly.

"We have to try," she said, and was silent for the rest of their journey. Ronon found himself watching her, looking for any sign that she was not okay; but she was determined. Whatever was bothering her, it was not stopping her. If anything, she seemed to want to hurry.

"We are very close," she whispered suddenly, surprising him. He mentally kicked himself for not paying more attention.

"How do you know?"

"I just do; I cannot explain it." And a moment later the ship did indeed come into view. They stopped for a moment; a last chance to back out which neither of them took.

"Alright," Ronon whispered, "when we go in, I want you to stay close. And if we get into a fight, I want you to get out. Don't wait for me."

"I am not leaving without you or my people."

"What if they're not there?" they had to consider that possibility.

"Then we must help whoever is." Ronon wasn't sure if his admiration outweighed his annoyance. They'd come to find her people; and he didn't want to risk her life for strangers.

"We'll do what we can," he promised.

Sneaking onto the hive was surprisingly easy, all things considered. It was finding prisoners in the sheer vastness of the ship that was difficult. For all his experience Ronon couldn't remember where on the ship the prisoners were kept. They wandered through the long, dark hallways, ducking through doorways whenever they heard the wraith approaching.

"This is not working," Teyla said eventually.

"Relax, I'll find the cells."

"You are taking too long," Teyla said, shaking her head. "I can find them faster."

"How?"

"Shh." She was standing quite still, taking deep breaths and her eyes flickering around.

"What are you looking for?"

"Shh. I am not looking; I am listening."

"Listening?" but she only shushed him again, and this time he obeyed and let her concentrate.

"The cells are that way," she said finally, gesturing to their right. "Two levels down."

"How can you be sure?"

"I cannot explain it."

"Try." She groaned.

"_After _we find my people and get them off of this ship." Ronon figured that that was the best he was going to get; at least she hadn't refused.

"Alright, we'll try this your way." She stepped out of the tiny hallway that they were hiding in into the large corridor, and led him though the ship with surprising ease. In less than fifteen minutes, they had reached the area where the prisoners were kept. And the first thing that they saw were the cocoons.

Ronon had seen such things before, so he barely blinked when they reached it. But Teyla gasped and stumbled back into him at the unexpected horror.

"It's alright," he tugged her hand gently. "Just ignore it, and walk right past."

"What is this?" she gasped.

"This is how they preserve people that they want to feed on. Not all of them, but some."

"Would my people...?"

"Nah, they shouldn't be. hey were only culled last night." But Teyla looked at every face in ever cocoon that they passed. On the other side of that room, finally, they reached the cells.

The first few were empty, and Ronon's heart began to sink. This trip was for nothing. He had put Teyla's life at risk for _nothing_.

Suddenly, her heard something. Soft, worried voices traveled from one of the cells. Ronon caught Teyla's arm and nodded towards the sound. He saw a spark of hope ignite in her eyes, and they went over to the cell.

Its occupants all jumped to their feet in startled amazement that they had visitors, and that those visitors were not wraith.

"Who are you?" a ma asked, coming to the bars to face them. Ronon felt a momentary twinge of regret; these people were not Athosian. But Teyla was already answering him.

"We are friends, we are here to help."

"Not wraith spies?" he questioned warily.

"If we were, do you think we'd tell the truth?" Ronon asked irritably, ready to get out now that he knew that the Athosains were not there.

"Do you know how to open these doors?" Teyla asked the man, running her fingers over the hard webbing.

"They use their minds; that is how they control everything. But I believe that there is a panel in the wall that responds to them." The man pointed, and Teyla walked over and placed her hands on the wall, and closed her eyes.

"What is she doing?" the man asked Ronon.

"I have no idea," and he wasn't lying. But whatever it was that she was doing, it worked. the door slid opened, and about a dozen people stumbled out of the cell.

"Is there anyone else in the cells?" Ronon asked.

"No one. At least, not in this section. I don't know about the others."

"Ronon," Teyla was suddenly at his side. "All of the people in cocoons..." her words were cut off by a harsh alarm that pounded on their eardrums.

"There's nothing that we can do for them, Teyla. We have to get these people out of here." He saw her eyes dull in resignation.

"Very well."

"You lead the way," he asked, hoping that she would be as lucky getting out of this place as she had been getting into it.

"Follow me," she said to the newly freed prisoners; and she began to guide them back to hers and Ronon's entrance.

They had nearly reached it when the wraith attacked them.

Ronon and Teyla were both instantly thrust into battle, since they were the only ones strong enough to fight. Ronon was initially worried for Teyla; he had his gun, but she had no more to fight with than a knife. But after half a minute and a few well-placed strikes, she had captured one of the wraith's long stunners, and was using it against them in a variety of hitting, stabbing ways. Satisfied that she could take care of herself for the moment he gave everything that he had into the battle, and soon they had defeated the group of wraith that had attacked.

"Quick, this way!" Teyla led them the rest of the way to where they'd come in. But it was more of a hatch than a normal entrance, and they had to help the people climb down, one by one.

Teyla was just helping the last one--- and Ronon was waiting impatiently so that he could help her down--- when the ship rumbled beneath their feet. The man's hands slipped from Teyla's, and she lost her balance and began to fall after him. Ronon lunged forward barely in time and caught her, and dragged her away from the edge. A second later the hatch snapped closed on its own, and the rumbling and shaking of the deck beneath their boots intensified.

"What is happening?" Teyla asked, fear coloring her breathless words for the first time since they had come to that world. Ronon tightened his arms around her as he realized what the rumbling meant.

"They're taking off," he said. "The hive is leaving for a culling."

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_Author's Note: I think this is the first part where the music would go "dun-dun-duuuuh!" I don't expect it to be the last._


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's Note: Sorry for the cliff-hanger, I hope it wasn't too bad. Part of this chapter is a bit cheesy, and I apologize for that; but I like that scene. _

_And thank you to_ **fyd818**_, for her multitude of reviews that let me know that I was still loved (at least, that this fic was still loved ;) lol). :D Here you go, friend. And remember to breathe... lol ;)_

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**Chapter Eight**

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"They were stuck on the hive?" one of the children repeated. "For how long?"

"For almost three weeks."

"How did they escape?" Rayshan asked, wide eyed. For once he didn't beg for a fight.

"The hive was very large," his grandmother explained, hoping that he would never have to see one. "And there were very few wraith awake until they reached the planet that they were going to cull."

"How did they survive on the hive at all?" Jinto asked. He had heard the story many times as a child, but he couldn't remember that part. "There would have been no food or water."

"The wraith wish their prisoners to survive until they themselves are hungry," his mother-in-law said. "They were able to find the place where those rations were stored."

"How they survived is not as important as how they got off," Lacey interrupted. "Tell them that part."

"Patience, patience my children," she held up her hands to calm everyone down. "I will explain everything...

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The first few days on the hive had seemed to be the worst; not knowing if the wraith were aware of their presence. Neither had slept well those first few nights. And when they realized that things were fairly safe, the other necessities that they lacked--- such as food--- began to make their need known. It finally got to the point where they had to venture out in search of something edible. The prisoner's rations that they found were a far cry from delicious, but they were enough to keep them alive.

After the first week (he guessed), Ronon thought that they'd seen the worst of it. But now, nearly three weeks into the journey, he was finding the hardest part to be the waiting.

He and Teyla had done a little exploring; and other than the food it had showed them the dart bay, which he kept in the back of his mind as a possible escape option. But other than those little treks they'd spent the majority of their time in the little room that they had claimed to hide out in.

Teyla still didn't seem certain of her feelings for him; like she could not decide whether or not to forgive him. She kept her distance for the most part, but he never pushed her away of she needed him; whether for comfort or to plan or simply to talk and stave off the insanity that threatened to overtake if the silence stretched for too long.

Suddenly, one day, and for no apparent reason, Teyla began to laugh.

"What is it?" Ronon asked.

"If you had asked my not very long ago what I believed that I would be doing right now, I would have said getting married. And yet here I am on a hive ship in the middle of space with no way to get home, completely alone and with no way to get back home even if I could escape," she shook her head. "The ancestors must be enjoying this."

"Forget about the ancestors," Ronon said, taking her shoulders in his big hands. "And forget about being alone and all that. This is not your fault, we are going to get off this ship, and as long as I'm alive you will _never _be alone." Teyla met his eyes, and he tried to see the secrets that their dark beauty hid. But Teyla had schooled her expression to never give away her emotion.

"Thank you, Ronon Dex," she said softly; and he felt a chill run up his spine at the way she said his name. But then she leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, and left Ronon alone to think about what had just happened.

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Teyla was awakened from a surprisingly restful sleep by a gentle hand taking hers, and a soft, deep voice.

"Teyla, wake up." She blinked until the world came into focus, and saw Ronon kneeling before her. "It's time to go."

"What?" she allowed him to pull her to her feet as her fuzzy brain tried to make sense of his words.

"The ship just reached wherever it was going; I felt it change. And the wraith are all running around in the halls towards the dart bay."

"You went out in the halls alone?" Teyla asked, still confused but remembering clearly that they had agreed _not _to venture out alone, especially if the other one was asleep and vulnerable.

"Had to see if we were there," he shrugged. "Didn't want to miss our chance." Teyla accepted that with a nod, because she knew that they did need to get out.

"Did they land?" she asked as he took her hand and led her cautiously into the hall.

"No, we're still flying; feel the engines rumbling?"

"So a dart then?"

"We're gonna have to." Teyla wasn't too sure how she felt about that particular plan, but she knew as well as Ronon that there was not another way.

At the entrance to the dart bay, they stopped, and Ronon eyed the closest of the little ships. There didn't seem to be any wraith around, but Teyla felt an uncomfortable tingling in the back of her mind.

"Hey," Ronon took her hand and led her out. "Come on."

They had nearly reached the dart when that odd sensation in her mind suddenly made sense.

"Ronon, no!" she hissed. "There is a wraith-" but he had already leaped up onto the edge if the cockpit, and came face to face with a snarling, broken-toothed wraith. Teyla felt her heart stop in fear as the creature shot out its hand towards Ronon's chest. A blast from his gun caught it barely in time, and it slumped over, dead. Ronon shoved it out of the ship and it flopped in a crumpled heap on the floor. He turned and looked into Teyla's wide eyes.

"Come on." Breaking out of her shock, she ran towards the ship. She caught his outstretched hand and he pulled her up, settling her on his lap and reaching around her for the controls. A second later the opaque shield of the cockpit closed, and the ship rose a little shakily into the air. Readouts scrolled across the cockpit cover, and Ronon began to steer the ship out.

"Do you know how to fly this?" Teyla asked breathlessly, realizing that they had never actually discussed that part of the plan.

"I've done it before."

"And...?"

"I survived, didn't I?"

"Ronon!"

"Yelling at me is only gonna distract me more!" he warned her. She fought the urge to hit him. "If you're gonna talk, how 'bout you tell me how you always know where the wraith are?"

"I have a gift..." she began as the readouts showed them leaving the dart bay. The little ship wobbled dangerously, worrying her. "Ronon..."

"Keep talking," he gritted.

"I cannot explain how or why, but I can sense the wraith."

"Sense?"

"I feel them; their anger, their hunger... their darkness."

"And how'd you get the cell opened when we freed those prisoners?"

"I honestly do not know. I have never tried anything like that before." She felt the dart speed up suddenly, and the air around them grew hot.

"Ronon..." she began again, this time with fear.

"There's friction, we're entering the atmosphere of the planet."

"Can you slow us down?"

"That's the part that I had trouble with last time..."

"Ronon!" she couldn't remember ever using his name so many times so fast.

"We'll be fine," he said, taking his hands off of the controls and wrapping her as tightly as he could in his arms. Teyla squeezed her eyes closed and set her jaw, tensing in anticipation of the crash and shooting up a quick pray that they would be alive beyond the impact. The heat lessened suddenly, and a moment later her entire world exploded in a white-hot flash of pain... and then darkness...

------------

A sharp lance of pain burned through Teyla's middle, and she moaned feverishly, trying to shift away from it. A cool hand on her shoulder kept her from moving, and she stiffened. That hand was not Ronon's.

"Be still," she heard a vaguely familiar voice--- again, not Ronon's--- that reassured her enough to relax. She wanted to doze off again, to fade back into that merciful dark oblivion. But that same voice stopped her from doing so.

"I said be still, not nod off on me again." She sluggishly opened her eyes, and the vague shapes in front of her slowly turned into objects and someone that she recognized.

"Sora?" she whispered, squinting at the fourteen year old girl. She was not Athosian; she was Genii. What was she doing here?"

"Yes. That little wraith ship of yours crashed on the world where my father was trading; he brought you back here during the attack." Little ship? '_The dart,'_ she remembered. But...

"Ronon?" she asked, trying to sit up but gasping as pain stabbed her side. Sora pushed her back down gently.

"He is fine, my father brought him back too. The healer is with him now."

"Where is he?" Teyla gritted her teeth and tried to push herself up again.

"Teyla! He is in the next house, being taken care of; and you cannot move. The healer said that you have many injuries; a broken rib and terrible burns. I was told to make sure that you rested."

"I just need to see him," Teyla told her.

"Not until the healer permits it," Sora said firmly. "You need to rest." Teyla sighed heavily, wincing at the pain that it caused.

"But he is alright?" she asked again.

"Yes. He was not hurt any worse than you." Teyla permitted Sora to help her lay back down.

"How were you able to steal a wraith ship?" the girl asked once Teyla was comfortable again.

"We were on the hive when it took off, searching for my people." She paused as a headache began to pound at her from behind her eyes.

"How did you get onto the hive in the first place?"

"Ronon brought me," Teyla said wearily. "He promised to help me find my people."

"Tell me about the inside of the ship," Sora urged.

"We did not see much," Teyla held back a yawn. "Just the prison cells and the cocoon chamber and the dart bay... you are young yet, I should not be telling you this." She didn't want to admit that Sora was right; she was tired, and rest sounded lovely. But she wanted to see Ronon first; then she would be able to rest.

"Who is he?" Sora asked suddenly. "Ronon. He is not Athosian." Teyla shook her head, and instantly regretted the gesture as the pounding in her head increased. She closed her eyes against the pain.

"He is Satedan," she explained. "His world was culled... right before Athos."

"And did he run away from his world like a coward?"

"No!" Teyla's protest came out weak and slurred. "He is loyal to Sateda. He was on Athos when his world was culled... to help me." The room had slowly begun to spin, and Teyla could hardly focus for the dizziness that that caused. What was happening to her?

"Let me see Ronon," she asked Sora again; but this time she didn't try to rise. Maybe if the pounding in her head would recede and the world would stop running circles around her...

"Shh. You need to rest now; go back to sleep. You can see your friend when you awaken again." Teyla fought the exhaustion that was threatening to overwhelm her, but to no avail. She felt her heavy eyelids close again, and the darkness overtook her and dragged her in.

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Ronon awakened to a terrible headache, and the feeling of a presence that he wasn't used to. His eyes flew opened and he sat straight up, forgetting the pain as he reached for his gun that wasn't there. The man sitting in a chair by his bed watched with some amusement as Ronon turned wild eyes towards him.

"Good morning," he said. "Or maybe goodnight is more appropriate; you have been unconscious for some time."

"Where's Teyla?" Ronon asked. The man laughed at him.

"Something special to you, is she?" he teased. "She is perfectly fine; she's in the next house, all of her wounds are being taken care of."

"I want to see her."

"I believe that she was asking for you as well; but you were still unconscious and now she's asleep. You can see her in the morning when you both wake up."

"I need to see her now."

"And risk disturbing her? She needs this rest, let her be. I give you my word as a Genii that she is safe." Ronon recognized that word.

"Genii?" he questioned. "You trade with the Athosians, right?" the man nodded.

"Yes."

"Did any of them come here after the culling?" the man shook his head.

"No, just your Teyla." Ronon opened his mouth to ask how this man knew that he was not Athosian, but he seemed t guess the question before he could utter it.

"Please, your weapon alone proved that you were not Athosian." He paused. "You know, you really ask the wrong questions. Instead of first asking "Where's Teyla?", your first question should have been who I am and where you are."

"I already know that you're Genii," he said

"Only because I told you." Ronon sighed.

"Okay, who are you?"

"My name is Augustus Kolya," the name didn't mean anything to Ronon. "But now it is only fair that I know who you are."

"Specialist Ronon Dex," he introduced himself with his Satedan rank, newly assigned right before he had left for Athos only a few months earlier. Kolya smiled.

"Fancy rank for someone so young. I wonder, do you have the skills to match the title?"

"Well once we get a chance we'll just have to find out, won't we?" Ronon said, grinning.

"Yes, we will..."

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_A/N: Bet you weren't expecting to see HIM around, were you?_


	9. Chapter 9

_Author's Note: Sorry that it's been so long! I've been distracted by a bunch of other fics, and I haven't had much time to type up the couple of chapters that I ve had sitting in the wings. But (finally) here is another one. As always, thanks for all the reviews :D. They made me happy :)._

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**Chapter Nine**

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"Who were the Genii?" one of the children asked. "Do we still trade with them?"

"No, we don't," the storyteller answered.

"Why not?" She hesitated as she saw Lacey shift, and Jinto kiss her hair gently. She wasn't sure if she should keep on telling this part at all; she knew that Lacey didn't like hearing this part of the story.

"It's alright, mother," the girl said, as if she had read her mind. "Tell them."

"Are you sure?"

"I begged for this story, remember? I can handle it." The woman sighed.

"Alright. But there IS more first...

_Help me. Please help me_. Teyla groaned and shifted, coming slowly awake. The pleas from her dream still echoing in her mind. She winced when she opened her eyes to a bright shaft of sunlight, but the pain helped to banish the feeling of unease that the dream had aroused. That voice had been that of a little girl, begging for help.

She shuddered again, still unnerved, and firmly closed the dream out of her mind. She had more important things to worry about right now; like finding her people, for one...

Thinking of her people made her think of Ronon, which irritated her only slightly. But she remembered everything; their dangerous escape from the hive, their crash on the Genii homeworld; half-deliriously demanding that Sora let her see him...

Where had Sora said that he was? The next house. She glanced around, but she was alone. Shifting her sore muscles carefully, she got out of the bed that she'd been laying in--- noticing absently that she was dressed in new clothes and not caring to know how she had gotten into them--- and headed out the door.

_Please_, the voice from her dream stopped her dead in her tracks. _Help me_. She shook her head. It was just a dream, nothing more; she couldn't let it get to her.

She stepped out into the sunlight, and had taken about three steps down the path when she felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. Her first thought was that it was her father, which hurt when she remembered what had happened. The thought immediately following was that it was someone dangerous, and she spun around with the intention of delivering a bone-jarring punch; but before her fist could connect she felt herself swept up in strong, familiar arms.

"Good morning," Ronon rumbled into her hair before setting her down.

"You need to be careful," Teyla warned him. "I was going to hurt you."

"I can take a hit." Ronn shrugged carelessly, and she shook her head.

"How do you feel?" she asked him.

"A lot better than I did after we crashed," he said. "How about you? Are you okay?"

"I believe that I earned a few cracked ribs in the crash," she admitted. "But I am healing as well." They started to walk down the path, spending their first few minutes up and about together.

"Do you know how many days we have been here?" Teyla asked. "I feel as though I have been unconscious for most of the time."

"Me too," Ronon shrugged. "I'll ask Kolya." Teyla frowned.

"Kolya?"

"Yeah, he was the first one that I talked to, the first time I woke up. Don't you know him?"

"No," Teyla said thoughtfully. "And I am familiar with all of the Genii."

"Maybe he's new?"

"The Genii are what they are," Teyla told him. "They do not like outsiders. They do not take in those that they do not know." she paused, her mind switching gears.

"Have you heard anything of my people?" she asked.

"I asked; but they didn't come here."

"Then we have no reason to stay."

"Hey," he stopped her. "I know that you want to go out and keep looking; but you've gotta finish healing first."

"I am well enough."

"That's not good enough. You told me yourself that you cracked a few ribs. If we leave now and we DO find your people, and they're in trouble, how can we help them if we're still hurt?"

"Ronon..." she pleaded, but she knew that he was right. She sighed.

"I need to find them," she said softly.

"I know, and we will. _After _you're healed." Teyla was about to reply when she heard her name called. She and Ronon turned around and saw Sora coming for them.

"You are _both _supposed to be resting," the girl rebuked when she reached them.

"Sora, I am well enough," Teyla assured her. "And so is he."

The girl frowned, clearly not pleased.

"We need to _do _something," Ronon told her firmly, though he was not harsh about it.

"Very well." Tight-lipped, Sora motioned them to follow her. "Please, join us for morning meal." They fell in step behind her.

"Is she always like this?" Ronon whispered in Teyla's ear. She smiled.

"Only when I see her," she joked, feeling better now, and excited at the thought of real food. But most importantly, she had seen Ronon; and as soon as they could they were going to continue to search for her people.

_Please, it hurts! Help me_. This time she barely noticed the voice, and being with Ronon was enough to keep her from fearing it. She stayed close to him, and instead set her mind on the food that they were heading towards.

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They stayed with the Genii for five days, healing and regaining the strength that they had lost on the hive. In return for the Genii's hospitality they helped with their harvest, and whatever else they needed. And at night the two of them would meet, to talk and to plan what they were going to do next. Teyla knew all of the worlds that her people traded with, and Ronon knew a few others that might have taken them in; and they began to plan the order that they would search them in. But Teyla found it hard to concentrate on the planets themselves, and her thoughts often strayed to the people that she had lost.

"Do you think that my father survived?" she would wonder out loud. "Or Halling and Jinto?" That question broke Ronon's heart; especially since he was almost certain that she had seen her fiancé die. But he would always reply that if anyone had, it would be them. He never told her how much it hurt that she still longed for Halling.

"What about your family?" Teyla asked suddenly one night. "You never speak of them; do you believe that they escaped?"

"Until I learn otherwise," he said. In truth he found it easier not to even consider the fact that they were no longer alive; he had made up his mind that they _had _survived, and used his energy to worry about other things. That was how he dealt with such things.

The next day dawned gray and stormy, and the Genii decided to have a rest day. But sitting around inside all day was neither Ronon nor Teyla's idea of a good day. They had decided to leave tomorrow; and they didn't want to spend their last day on this world locked up in tiny little houses.

"I want to go for a walk," Ronon said after breakfast, stretching. "You?"

"I believe I will join you," she decided, accepting his hand up. Amid disapproving stares from several of the Genii coming in, they stepped out into the cool air.

They moved quickly away from the houses, into a wide green field edges with forest.

"You know," Ronon said as they walked, "I might actually miss it here when we leave."

"That is only because you have never had to endure a planting ceremony."

"Is it that bad?" Teyla rolled her eyes.

"It is not something that you wished to do twice," she answered. From the way that she said it, he got the feeling that she had "endured" many more than one.

"I'll keep that in mind," he laughed, putting an arm around her shoulders as a cool breeze swept across the field. He was amazed when she didn't pull away from him.

_Please! Help me!_ Ronon must have felt her muscles tense, because he stopped her and made her look at him.

"What is it?" he asked. "Wraith?"

"No." She paused, frowning.

"Then what is it?"

"It is a voice; she is a little girl, she's in my mind." He was confused.

"In your mind?" Teyla nodded.

"As if she is a wraith, but she is not; she is good. And she is scared, she needs help." She no longer questioned whether or not the voice was a dream; she felt the girl too clearly now for her to not be real.

"How do you know that it's not some kind of wraith trap?" Ronon asked her.

"Believe me, I would feel the difference," she assured him. "Ronon, we need to find her; we need to help her." She saw indecision; he didn't know if helping this girl would be more of a risk then he cared to take, or let her take. She sighed.

"Ronon, please," she pleaded softly. "Trust me. Help me find her."

He groaned.

"One day you're gonna find something that I'm not willing to do," he grumbled. She smiled gratefully.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, well, you'd better be careful. Now can this magic sense of yours tell her where she is, like it can with the wraith?" Teyla frowned in concentration.

"I think I can find her," she said finally. The more she concentrated on the girl's sense, the clearer it became. _Don't worry; we are coming to help you_, she thought, not knowing if the message would somehow be carried to the child, but the action feeling right.

Teyla and Ronon walked, and the sense continued to become stronger, easier defined, the closer that they got. Ronon didn't say anything to her, but every so often when he thought that she wasn't looking, he threw a worried glance in her direction. She decided to ignore his concern from the moment and wait until after they rescued the little girl to call him out on it. Besides, it would take too much energy to argue with him and try to hold on to that sense at the same time.

Eventually, Teyla realized something that she had not noticed at first.

"She is under us," she said. "Underground." Ronon frowned.

"Does she expect us to dig for her or something?" Teyla sent him a withering glare, but didn't answer. Instead, she changed direction, and started walking again. He followed her, and eventually they came upon a little barn, or a shed or something. By then the wind had picked up and it had started to drizzle, and grateful to at least have a chance at warmth Ronon didn't wait for Teyla to make a decision, but pulled her inside and shut the warped door as far as he could.

"Ronon…"

"Hey, if this kid is underground, then she's dry. We deserve to be, too." Teyla rolled her eyes, unable to understand how Ronon couldn't be concerned for this girl. He had certainly cared for Alyn…

Thinking of the little girl and her pet deer made Teyla's heart break again. It hadn't been much more that six weeks ago that they had rescued the little animal for her; then the wraith had come. Teyla didn't even know if the girl had survived.

Ronon, as she assumed, was not thinking about the little girl at all; or anything about their situation, for that matter. He was, in fact, looking at her as she turned away from him, her face partially obscured by a curtain of wet hair, and wondering how she could be so darn beautiful even soaking wet and angry.

_Focus_, his mind complained, jarring him out of his perfectly happy moment and bringing the reality of things crashing back down on him. His eyes were drawn away from her, just over her shoulder, to what looked like an edge of metal under a pile of straw. He slipped past her and knelt next to the pile, trying to move the wispy pieces so that he could see what the metal was. It looked vaguely familiar…

Teyla was distracted from her own thoughts by Ronon digging around in a big pile of straw; pieces of it catching and clinging to his hair, making an odd, endearing picture. _Now where did that come from?_ she wondered.

"What are you doing?" she asked, forcing her mind back where it belonged. He motioned her over next to him, so that she could see what he had uncovered.

"What is it?"

"A hatch. We had a couple of these escape tunnels on Sateda, set up just like this. There's your door underground." Teyla fought back the sudden urge to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him.

_ Thank you, Ronon_, she thought gratefully.

Ronon was busy opening the hatch, and he gestured for her to climb down.

"You first," he said. Teyla opened her mouth to protest, then shut it again and obediently climbed down. There was no point in angering him enough that he wouldn't come with her. She knew that if there was anything bad down there, his help would be useful.

She climbed down the short shaft, aided by metal rungs in the wall and later a real ladder, and her boots touched dirt again soon. One small tunnel lay just a little to her right, slightly rectangular and made of smooth, dark, clearly man-made rock.

She heard Ronon scramble down after her, and a second later he dropped---a bit heavily---on his feet beside her. He'd closed the hatch, but pale, electric light emanated from the tunnel. He turned to her.

"Did you have any idea that this was here?"

"No," she shook her head. "I do not believe that the Genii did, either." Something in his face said that he did not agree, but he let it go.

"Which way is this kid of yours?" he asked instead.

"I don't know," she answered sarcastically. "There are so many tunnels to choose from…"

"Don't be funny; just find the kid so that we can get outta here." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Are you scared?"

"There's something wrong here," Ronon insisted. "Just hurry up." Teyla both trusted and resented his instincts, because they matched her own. But the voice of the child now screaming in her mind distracted her from whatever else she may have been thinking.

"Come," Teyla led him down the cramped hallway, pausing at each doorway that they came to, listening. About four doors down, they came to a place where the tunnel split off in several directions.

"Lovely," Teyla murmured, pausing. Ronon grew worried.

"Does that mean that you don't know where to go?" he demanded, fear beginning to color his voice. She was tempted to call him on it, but decided against it.

"She has sensed something else," she explained her reaction; it had nothing to do with the tunnels. "Something besides me." But she didn't elaborate. She just became more determined and chose a tunnel and led him on, quicker than before. No need to know what she's sensed as well.

After what seemed to be hours---but had probably taken very little time---Teyla came to a door and stopped.

"She is in there," she said. But she couldn't get the door opened. She finally let the handle go, frustrated with the weakness that had resulted from her injuries.

Suddenly, Ronon pulled out his gun and aimed it at the lock.

"Let me."

"Do you not think that whoever put her in there will hear that?"

"We'll be out before then, so it won't matter." He shot the lock. Teyla cringed, but the door swung opened, and she and Ronon both stepped inside.

It was a small room, clearly set up for a child, but the locked door making it unquestionably a prison. But true to Teyla's insistence, there was a little girl curled up on the bed, crying softly. She looked up when they came in.

"Are you my mama?" she asked Teyla as she crossed the room to her. The Athosian's heart broke for her; she couldn't be more then seven or eight!

"No, I'm not," she said sadly. "But I'm here to help you."

"Will you help me find her?"

"I will do whatever I can," Teyla promised, lifting her into her arms. She felt the child's skinny arms wind around her neck, and a small face buried itself in her shoulder.

"Let's go," Ronon urged, still distinctly uncomfortable. There was something really weird about this place…

Teyla followed him out the door, and they ran back through the tunnels towards the entrance. Suddenly, Teyla groaned and stumbled against the wall.

"What is it?" the concern that had been in his voice was replaced by fear of a different kind.

"We did take too long," she said. "There is a culling going on."

"What?!"

"I felt them coming, but I did not believe that they would attack yet…"

"And you didn't think it would be a good idea to _tell _me about any of this?"

"You were worried enough; the last thing you need to be concerned with right now is my wraith sense."

"So you are a wraith witch as well…" Teyla and Ronon both jerked around at the unexpected comment, and Lacey clung tighter to Teyla. Ronon recognized the man behind them as Kolya; although he looked like anything but a Genii farmer now. He was dressed in an olive green uniform, and looked every bit military and powerful and threatening.

"I am not a witch!" Teyla protested immediately. "I did not ask for my gift, not can I control it; and I certainly don't use it against others."

"Ronon," he ignored her protest as if she didn't exist, "I would think that you of all people would have wanted to keep her safe, not take her down into these dangerous tunnels." Teyla glanced from the guns that the man held in each hand---trained on both of them---to Ronon.

"How does he know you?" she asked.

"Teyla, this is Kolya," he introduced her. "The one who you didn't know."

"You are not Genii, I have never seen you before-" she began.

"You think that because you do not know me I am not?" Kolya scoffed at her. "There are hundreds of Genii who live in these tunnels; and dozens more who live off-world. There is much about us that you do not know, Teyla Emmagan."

"Look," Ronon cut in, sounding strained, "I really don't care right now. But we've gotta go; we were gonna leave soon, anyways."

"Not with her," he nodded at the child cowering in Teyla's arms. "She can sense the wraith coming, she warns us of cullings. We need her."

"She's just a child!" Teyla didn't know what to do, but she saw Ronon's hand drifting towards his gun. "You cannot simply use her that way!"

"She is vital to the survival of the Genii people."

"She is coming with us!" Teyla shouted.

Ronon's hand had nearly reached his weapon when a shot from Kolya's gun rang out. Ronon stumbled back into the wall, blood slipping through his fingers and soaking through his shirt.

"I'm not going to ask you again; and next time I will kill him," Kolya stared severely at Teyla. "Hand over the child."

"I'll call down the wraith on you," the little girl said suddenly, raising her head to look him in the eyes. "You know that I can; you've seen me do it. Let them leave or I will lead the wraith straight here and no one will survive."

"This is not over," he said finally. "There are more Genii out there then you know, and by tonight, you will not be safe on any world where they are."

"They'll never find out if you're all culled," Ronon mocked, shoving himself off the wall while still putting pressure on the wound with one hand. With the other hand, he grabbed Teyla and pulled her away, keeping himself between her and Kolya. The child must have really scared the man, because he let them leave.

They ran as fast as they could back to the place where they had come in, and Ronon started to climb up.

"Let me," Teyla insisted, grabbing the back of his coat.

"I'm fine!"

"You will not be able to hang on and open the hatch without hurting your wound more," she kept her grip on him until he came down. Teyla set the child down beside him.

"Stay right here until I say," she whispered to the girl, before turning and starting to climb up. Ronon grabbed her ankle, and she looked back over her shoulder at him, about to insist that she do it. But he was holding up his gun to her.

"In case there's something up there that shouldn't be," he said. "It's set to stun." She nodded and continued her ascent. At the top she struggled for a few moments with the hatch, but finally forced it open and looked around. There was no one there.

"It's safe," she called down, climbing over the edge. She could hear wraith darts outside, but they were relatively safe here… for now.

A few moments later the girl appeared, and as soon as Teyla had lifted her out Ronon followed. She helped him over the edge too, and they closed the hatch.

"We have to get out of here while they're culling," Ronon said. "By the time it's over the Genii will be all over us for taking her."

"You were just shot!" Teyla said in disbelief, amazed at his strong words even as tears streamed down his face from the pain. "Let me dress it first."

"After we leave."

"What do you think it will help if you are culled before you make it to the gate?"

"I can protect us," the girl said softly.

"How?" Teyla asked immediately. Ronon found it interesting that she did not ask "really?" but "how?"

"Don't you know?"

"You can explain it later," Ronon said. "Right now just do it."

They left the safety of the little barn, and headed for the gate. Whatever the child was doing, it worked. Darts swarmed over their heads, but not one attempted to beam them up. They reached the gate and dialed out.

"What's your name?" Ronon asked the child as they ran for the blue puddle.

"Lacey," she gasped as they passed through the gate.

On the other side, Ronon promptly fainted.

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_A/N: Whew! There's a long one for ya! I hope that it makes up for my lack of updates lately. I have an inability to focus only on one writing project at once; especially when all of YOUR lovely fics give me such good ideas! :D LOL, I would never steal, I'm just always... inspired. The next chapter is shorter, and as such it should be up soon. I hope you liked this one in the meantime! :D_


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